The Evening After The Day Before
by Uh.yeah
Summary: Short Valetine's Day one shot. Sickeningly cheesy. Basically fluff. R & R if you think you can stand the cliches... ; )


So here we have a short one shot. It's one I did for a Valentine's Day competition thing on MCBC.

Um, I've kind of indulged the cheesy romantic inside me, so please excuse the sap. There is a lot of it. A lot of cheese.

So…yeah.

**Disclaimer: I don't own this. Meg Cabot does.**

* * *

Ok, so it's the day after Valentine's day and I'm sitting watching the romantic reruns. Alone. Stuffing my face with the biggest box of popcorn imaginable. 

Which sucks.

Well, the popcorn part doesn't exactly suck, but the being alone thing definitely does.

Especially as I supposedly have a boyfriend. Who can't even be bothered to show his face on the whole, big V-Day. My brothers were out with their girlfriends, being model boyfriends. Ruth had someone to take her out. Even my parents went out yesterday - my dad took my mom out for ages.

And what was I doing?

Fielding calls from Skip. That's what I was doing.

Ok, I know Rob and I hadn't exactly planned anything. Neither of us really go for the whole Valentine's commercial holiday thing. But then... I guess I just assumed he would turn up.

I mean, we'd never actually said we _wouldn't_ do anything, either.

At least he called. But that was to explain that he had to go away on 'business.

Uh, what business could he have had? That would be way more important than Valentine's day?

Whatever. I'm not upset or anything.

I have popcorn.

And sure, when my whole family went out this evening to celebrate the re-opening of Mastriani's, I may have grumpily declined. But that has nothing to do with yesterday.

Nothing at all.

Also, I just really love these soppy films. There's no explosions or anything, but the guys seem to do a scary amount of pouting. And I'm sure that requires a lot of talent.

But when the doorbell rang I happily leapt up to answer it. Anything to take me away from the main couple tearfully splitting up. As if I didn't know that within the next half an hour they'd be back together and living 'happily ever after.' Probably spending romantic Valentine's days together.

I opened the door curiously. Well, we hardly ever get people calling round. Especially at 10pm. Even the sympathetic food plates after the demise of Mastriani's had stopped coming.

So I was even more surprised to find Rob standing in the doorway. With a load of flowers.

My eyes kind of widened at the flowers. But I played it cool.

"Oh. Hi." I said, in a less than enthusiastic way.

"Hey," replied Rob, anxiously. I couldn't help noticing that Rob looked very hot when he was anxious. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I answered casually, standing back to let him in.

I led him through to the sitting room where I plonked back down on the sofa and stared fixedly at the screen.

Yes, I know. I was being very harsh to the man I loved. But, come on. I had fully waited for him yesterday and received nothing but a phone call telling me he was busy. What was I supposed to do? I may be tough, but I wouldn't mind having a Valentine's day involving more than a sympathy card from my parents.

"Uh, these are for you," said Rob, slightly nervously, motioning to the flowers.

"Thanks." I said taking them. I kind of held them limply in my arms. They were beautiful. And were making it kind of hard for me to stay mad at him. But I was trying.

"Jess," began Rob, still standing at the other end of the sofa, "look, I'm really sorry about yesterday. It's just that I really had to…" He stopped and, irritated, stared at the TV. "Can you turn that off?"

"No," I answered stubbornly, "I really like this film."

Rob's eyebrows shot up.

"Really? What is it?"

"Uh…" I stalled for time, frantically trying to remember the name from the opening credits, "it's…"

Rob stared at me pointedly.

"Fine," I sighed, pointing the remote at the screen and turning it off.

"Thanks." He sat down on the other end of the sofa and turned to me.

"Even though I know you don't really go in for the whole Valentine's thing, I still want to apologise for missing it. And just so you know, I missed spending it with you myself."

He cleared his throat.

"It's just that basically, yesterday, was the date they chose to... Well, yesterday I kind of got taken off probation." He suddenly rushed out quickly. "I know the date sucked but I had to go. They had to talk and see if I'd do it again. But they decided that I wouldn't and –"

I interrupted him, quickly, "You're off probation?"

"Yeah," he answered smiling at me.

"So what was it for?"

"A few years back, I kind of got drunk with a load of friends and stole a car. It was dumb, I know. But it was just after my dad got arrested and I was mad. I got caught and –"

"That's why you're on probation?" I demanded, interrupting him again.

"Yeah," answered Rob, nervously.

"That's the big secret you refused to tell me?"

"Yeah."

"Why couldn't you tell me that?"

Rob looked at me, confused for a while. "Because it was stupid. I didn't want you to think I was one of those morons who go around stealing cars all the time and…"

I shook my head impatiently. I quickly covered the gap between us and wasting no time, kissed him.

He kissed me back happily, crushing the beautiful flowers between us.

Suddenly he stopped and pulling his head away, asked me, "So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not," I answered, staring at his lips, "now you've explained."

"Good, I couldn't have the girl I loved mad at me, could I?"

I sat up quickly.

"What did you just say?" I demanded.

He smiled his beautiful smile and pulled me closer so that our mouths were but an inch or two apart.

"I love you, Mastriani."

I kissed him quickly.

"I love you too, Rob."

And I kissed him again. For much, much longer.


End file.
